Mills in the Upcountry: a Historic Context, and a Summary of a Mill ...

The mill is now part of the Pickens County Museum of Art and History. It has been
restored and is host to The Upcountry Folklife Festival in early fall of each year. This is
a Saturday when old-time crafts, music, and corn grinding can be enjoyed. Every third
Saturday of the month, visitors can see the mill in operation. Also, on the same property,
is the relocated and restored Murphree-Hollingsworth cabin. This cabin was the home for
the first pastor of Secona Baptist Church and was built around 1793. The huge hand-hewn
logs still bear the axe marks made by early settlers and Cherokee who helped build the
cabin.
11. GOLDEN CREEK MILL
Golden Creek Mill is a beautifully restored grist mill, which sits on the banks of the Twelve
Mile River. The original mill was built in 1825 and eventually housed a gin and cotton press.
Golden Creek Mill today is reconstructed using parts from several old mills throughout
Oregon, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Carolina, and from the country of
Denmark. The old water wheel is over one hundred years old. Part of the dam is still
there. The dam was made from materials on the premises. The owner and his wife have
built a home beside the mill, which is a replica of a miller' s house. There is also an "old
mill store" very much like you would have found in the old mill days. People could buy
the things they needed when they took their corn or grain to be ground.
The stream that powers the mill has been molded and shaped through the years to keep the
mill running as it should. Golden Creek Mill is a place you can visit (by appointment) that
will take you back to the early days of Pickens County.
15. HAMILTON MILL
Hamilton Mill was located on Dacusville Highway and was built around 1870. The old mill
was in operation until 1930. W. A. (Whitten Alfred) Hamilton, grandfather of Mrs. Sarah
Hamilton Meece, purchased the mill in the late 1800's. The mill was passed down to her
father, Henry W. Hamilton. She is not certain who the original builders of the mill were. She
did remember a miller named "Pete" when she was a little girl. There was a miller's house
located near the mill, but was torn down many years earlier.
The original millstones ' are still there and will probably be left to the Pickens Museum
when Mrs. Meece passes. The rock dam and wheel blocks are still intact. The dam had to
be opened a few years ago because of flooding. The wheel was about 12 feet in diameter.
The stones were around 48 inches and made of granite.
Hamilton Mill Dam still stands as a testament to its proud history. You can see the opening
that was carefully made to prevent flooding of upper land in later years.
16. HENDRICK' S MILL
Hendricks Mill was located on Town Creek, near present day Ingles Supermarket. Corn
and wheat were ground at the mill that was about the size of Hagood Mill. Mrs. Margaret
Trotter is the only direct descendant who remembers the mill in operation. Mrs. Trotter
owns over 150 acres of property that has been in the family since 1906. Mrs. Trotter's
father, John Frank Hendricks, owned the mill and surrounding acreage. The mill burned
and metal from the water wheel was sold as scrap iron. The Model- T automobile that
hauled the scrap metal is still in the family. Alonzo Pace built another mill across the creek
from this one in 1921 (after Hendricks Mill burned). The wheel was about 15 feet in